Compound steam-engine.



No. 728,709. PATBNTED MAY 19, 1903.

J. HARDILL.

COMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.

I 7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1902.

no MODEL. 1 H 2 SHEET8BHEET-1.

aawemfo'a Jse a/ fini GHQ 1142130 PATENTED MAY 19, 1903.

I J. HARDILL. COMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, I902.

' 2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

I no MODEL.

UNITED STATES latented May 19, 1903. P TENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HARDILL, OF MITCHELL, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERTBENSON, OF. BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

COMPOUND STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 728 ,709, dated May19, 1903. Application filed Jul 14,1902. sesame. 115,516. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HARDILL, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing in' the town of Mitchell, in the county of Perth andDominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCompound Steam-Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled inv the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to compound steamengines of the multiple-cylindercross-compound type.

The object of the invention is to provide, first, a novel, simple, andeffective form of engine of this character, and, second, such an enginewhich may be made single or double acting compound at will.

With the above and other objects in view, which will readily appear asthe nature of .the invention is better understood, said inventionconsists in certain novel features of construction and combination andarrangement of parts, which will hereinafter be fully described andclaimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a top plan View of a compound single or double acting engineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the same.Fig. 31s a cross-section on line YY of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection of a double-acting engine embodying the invention. Fig. 5 is across-section of the same on line a; no of Fig. 4.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the numeral 1 represents ahigh-pressure cylinder, and 2 a low-pressure cylinder, arranged side byside; 3, an intermediate steam-chest;. 4 and 5, high and lowpressurepistons working in said cylinders, and 6 a slide-valve workingin the chest and adapted to be operated by an eccentric motion (notshown) in the usual way. The high-pressure cylinder 1 is provided withtwo steam-inlet ports? and 8,.

opening into the center of the steam-chest and communicating with asteam-supply pipe 9 through passages 7 and 8 and branch pipes 10 and 11,having controlling-valves 10 and 11', whereby the flow of steam toeither or both ends of each cylinder may be regulated as desired. Onopposite sides of inlets 7 and 8 are passages 12 and 13, which connectthe opposite ends of said cylinder with the chest 3. The low-pressurecylinder 2 is provided with an exhaust-port 14, connecting with anexhaust-pipe 15, and upon opposite sides of said port are passages 16and 17, connecting the steam-chest with the opposite ends of saidlow-pressure cylinder. The slidevalve 6 is provided on one side with twocut-01f parts a. and a and between the intermediate point a and cut-offparts a, a with cavities b '5 said cut-off parts and cavitiescontrolling the admission-ports 7 and 8 and passages 12 and 13. Theother side of the opposite Valve has two end cutoff parts 0 c and anintermediate cavity cl. Fig. 2 shows the. arrangement of the valvewhendisposedfor the passage of the steam from the high-pressure cylinderto one end of the low-pressure cylinder and for the exhaust of steamfrom the opposite end of the latter cylinder through port 14,'from whichit will be seen that the passages 12 and 16 are in opencommunication'with the cylinders,

'while the cavities b and d open communication, respectively, betweenthe inlet-port 8 and passage l3 and between the exhaust-port 14 andpassage 17. Assuming that both valves 10 and1l are open and the engineworking double-acting, it will be seen that the piston 4 is at the limitof its outward stroke and that steam from port 8 is being suppliedthrough the cavity 1) and passage 13 to. the outer end of said cylinderto force the piston back again. As the piston 4 moves back the livesteam behind it and previously admitted through port 7, cavity b, andpassage 12 to force it outward is forced out of the cylinder '1 throughthe passage 12 into the steamchest and thence through the passage 16into the inner end of the low-pressure cylinder 2, where its expansiveforce is employed to force the piston 5 on its outward stroke. On theinward stroke of piston 5 the steam previously admitted through passage17 to impel ICO said piston on its outstroke is forced back through saidpassage and passes through valve-cavity d and out through exhaust-port14. As the pistons 4 and 5, respectively, reach thelimit of their in andout strokes the valve 6 moves to the left and the valve parts a a a andcavity b close the port 8 and open communication between the port 7 andpassage 12 and between the port 13 and steam chest, while the valveparts 0 c and cavity 01 close communication between the steamchest andpassage 16 and open communication between the steam-chest and passage 17and between the passage 16 and exhaust-port 14. Hence steam will beadmitted to the inner end of cylinder 1 to force the piston 4 inwardly,and the steam previously admitted into said cylinder through passage 13will be forced through said passage into steam-chest and thence throughpassage 17 into the outer end of cylinder 2, and under the expansiveforce of this steam the piston 5 will be moved forwardly and exhaust ofthe spent steam behind the same will take place through the passage 16,valve-cavity d, and port 14. By closing either one of the valves 10 or11 steam may be admitted solely to one end of the high-pressure cylinder1, making the engine single-acting compound.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the engine isconstructed to act solely as a double-acting compound engine and is notinterchangeable from single to double acting, and vice versa, a singleinletport 7' is employed to supply live steam to the passages 12 and 13,and the piston is provided between the cut-01f parts a a with acontinuous or single cavity b the construction otherwise remaining thesame. Fig. 4 shows the valve as arranged to open communication betweenthe steam-chest and passages 12 and 16 and close communication betweenthe chest and passages 13 and 17, the passage 13 being connected withinlet-port 7 through the valve-cavity b and the passage 17 with theexhaust-port 14 through valvecavity (1. Live steam passing into thehighpressure cylinder 1 through passages 13 forces the piston4 to theleft, and the steam'previously admitted in rear of said piston is forcedfrom the cylinder 1 through passage 12 into the steam-chestand thenceinto low-pressure cylinder 2 through passage 16, forcing the piston 5outward. The outward movement of the piston 5 forces the steampreviously admitted in advance thereof out through passage 17, whence itpasses through the valve-cavity (1 into the exhaust-port 14. When thetwo pistons 4 and 5, respectively, reach the limit of their in and outstrokes, the valve 6 moves to the left and opens communication betweenthe inlet-port 7 and passage 12 and between the exhaust-port 14 andpassage 16, at the same time bringing passages 13 and 17'intocommunication with the steamchest. Steam will then be admitted to cylinder 1 through passage 12, forcing piston 4 outward, and the steam inadvance of said pis ton will pass out through passage 13 into thesteam-chest and thence into the low-pressure cylinder 2 via passage 17.The piston 5 will then be forced inwardly and the spent steam in rearthereof exhausted through passage 16, valve-cavity d, and exhaust-port14.

It will be seen that the above-described results are obtained by reasonof a peculiar arrangement of the ports and passages and a novel andsimple form of valves, thus providing an engine which is free fromcomplicated parts and not liable to easily get out of order, as but asingle valve-movement is employed, and a single eccentric need only beemployed to operate the same to control the supply and exhaust of steamto and from both cylinders.

Again referring to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, it will be noticed that thevalves 6 consist of longitudinallydivided sections 6 and 6*, which areheld apart and also held in proper contact with their respectivevalve-seats by means of a tapered sleeve E on the valve-rod 6, the taperof this sleeve being of a corresponding taper to the backs of the valvesand the latter being united and adjusted to their faces by means ofvalve-rod nuts and jam-nuts g and g. By this construction it will beseen that wear can readily be compensated for and the valves at alltimes properly set to fit their respective seats, also that by theconstruction of the valve the same is adapted to maintain an approximatebalance against intermediate steam-pressure on the backs of thevalve-sections at all times.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of myinvention will be readily apparent, it is thought, without requiring amore extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A compound engine comprising high and low pressure cylinders havingpistons operating therein, a steam-chest intermediate said cylinders andprovided with valve-seats, one formed with a steam-inlet port and theother with an exhaust-port and both having passages leading fromopposite sides of the port therein to the ends of the coacting cylinder,a slide-valve in the steam-chest consisting of two unconnected members,one governing the inlet-port and passages to the high-pressure cylinder,and the other the exhaust-port and passages to the low pressurecylinders, a valve-rod extending between the Valve members, and meansupon said rod for connect ing the valve members thereto and foradjusting said valve members coincidently toward ICC their respectiveseats, substantially as de scribed.

2. A compound engine comprising high and on the opposite side, endcut-'ofi parts and an intermediate cavity cooperating with the ex.-

haust-port and passages to the low-pressure cylinder, and meansindependently govern: ing the supply of steam to the in1et-ports,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witne'sses.

JOSEPH HARDILL.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. SHOEMAKER, ROBERT BENSON.

